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Baylor wins Astros College Classic opener

HOUSTON -- California batters were aggressive at the plate on Friday. But that played into the hands of Baylor and its starting pitcher, Dillon Newman.

"When you got command of multiple pitches and the other club wants to swing the bat, you're in good shape," said Baylor coach Steve Smith.

Behind seven scoreless innings from Newman (2-0) and a 14-hit attack, Baylor opened the three-day Astros Foundation College Classic with a 9-0 win over California at Minute Maid Park.

Newman allowed only three hits and no walks with eight strikeouts in seven innings. Newman's changeup was especially effective against California (4-5). The only hits the right-hander allowed were a double by Chris Paul and singles from Jacob Wark and Mike Reuvekamp.

"He was pitching to contact, really trusting our defense," said Baylor third baseman Cal Towey, who had two hits -- including a triple -- two runs and two RBIs. "He looked really good getting ground balls and flyouts in this ballpark."

Steve DalPorto had three RBIs for Baylor (4-5), which had seven batters reach base by walk. DalPorto, Brett Doe, Mitch Price, Nathan Orf and Lawton Langford had two hits each for Baylor, which built a 4-0 lead through five innings and broke the game open with a five-run sixth inning. California starter Justin Jones (0-1) lasted only four innings to take the loss.

"It was a lot of fun, starting [the Classic] with a win," said Towey. "We put together a solid nine innings, defensively and offensively. We were really patient at the plate, taking our walks when we needed them."

Richard Dean is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.